Cultural Environmental Achievement Project, a Summarization and Evaluation of an Experimental Pre-School Program.

Kutztown State Coll., PA.; Bethlehem Area Schools, PA.; Pennsylvania State Dept. of Public Instruction, Harrisburg.

A 4-week preschool enrichment program was conducted in the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania area during the summer of l964 to counteract the educational deficiencies of the culturally disadvantaged. Four- and five-year-old Negro, Puerto Rican, and Caucasian children attended six classrooms staffed by three master teachers and 22 student teachers. About ll5 children participated. The program schedule was of a typical nursery school or kindergarten pattern. Weekly meetings of the parents of the pupils were held in order to improve their understanding of the objectives of the program and to increase their sense of responsibility in preparing their children for the school experience. The pupils were tested at the beginning and end of the program. This data showed the existence of encouraging improvement in terms of the pupils' readiness to enter kindergarten. Not only did it appear that the program enriched the educational skills of the pupils, but it provided a significant student-teaching experience for the 22 college students. This document consists primarily of (1) a detailed account of the substance of the preschool program, (2) selected student profiles as recorded by the student-teachers, and (3) day-to-day reports of classroom experiences by three of the student teachers. (WD)